D1 ready for service

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cyril7

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#10233 11-Nov-2006 09:29

D1 completed testing at 164E earlier this week, and is now motoring to 160E, should be there now if not shortly.

Sky has indicated that a cut over from B1 to D1 should occur in the wee hours of Wednesday morning 15/11.

Cyril

JohnPorter

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#51959 11-Nov-2006 09:43

Good news! Thanks, Cyril.

cyril7

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#52123 13-Nov-2006 09:18

Some of you may have heard that there has been a right royal f^ck up on D1. The NZ spot beam has been fitted with the wrong polarity launch probe, Optus are blaming Orbital (who built D1). Exactly what the final outcome of this is going to be I am not too sure, however the transition from B1 to D1 will occur for Sky transponders as scheduled.

I dont know the detailed issues as to the outcome of this, there has been speculation that the signal would be 6dB down on anticipated, which would take back all and more of the rain attenuation advance. If they continue to use the NZspot beam but on Hpol then some of the older LNB's will need replacing as they only had one pol fitted. I presume and hope that the spot beams performance is the same either H or V pol, still to find out. If they decide not to use the spot beam and use the combined feed instead then signals would be down a few db, presumably the 6dB mentioned. The other down side of this is that Aus would see our transmissions, no problem for Sky as NDS encryption stops out of region viewing, but TVNZ have a problem and may explain why they will remain on B1 for now.

All the above is speculation, we will wait and see what transpires on Wednesday morning.

Cyril

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#52266 14-Nov-2006 11:53

Thanks Cyril. As always your posts are extremely informative. Does this mean that B1 can stay put indefinitely next door to D1 at 160E, or at least until a collision occurs or B1 goes off course again?

Tivo upgrades to operate with the new OzTivo EPG, support and service. Over 400 performed here so far. See: www.hillcrest.net.nz

cyril7

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#52269 14-Nov-2006 12:02

Ahhh, $0.5billion (est cost of D1) question, we will have to wait and see.

Cyril

sbiddle

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#52275 14-Nov-2006 12:22

Tomorrow is going to be very interesting.. especially if a few hundred thousand people have no Sky TV! :-)

Kiwi Pete

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#54449 1-Dec-2006 23:44

Any idea yet when TVNZ migrates their present FTA satellite service from Optus B1 to Optus D1. Heard somewhere that it was going to happen this week.

cyril7

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#54458 2-Dec-2006 07:12

No still no rumblings on the jungle drums, was expected that both Sky and TVNZ would move to the 8 Hpol D1 transponders (that were meant to be Vpol) on thursday, but I dont recall any particular week. I guess we should expect it soon. Sky have been doing testing on the Hpol tranponders but only foro limited times during the day.

Cyril

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sbiddle

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#54464 2-Dec-2006 09:49

Have you heard anything else about when TV3 and C4 will start transmitting on D1? I had originally heard early Jan but haven't heard anything since the launch.

Any idea what have the signal levels been like on the NZ spot beams during testing? I haven't been following any of the sat mailing lists over the past few weeks.

cyril7

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#54465 2-Dec-2006 10:15

The only annoucments indicate that the FreeView service will be offically launched (DVB-S at least) March07, so I guess we will see Canwest start their mux early new year, here is hoping. As with all these things all parties seem to stay mum.

As for signal levels, the current Sky D1 muxs (Vpol) are running 3-4dB up on B1, therefore most installs should be seeing quality figures of +80% with BER 10-6 or better, all the ones I have seen have hovered in the 10-6 to 10-7(which is the STB indicator endstop). So thats good news, and should see rain fade pretty well knocked on the head except in extreme rain.

For now the current Sky Vpol mux are infact on split NZ/Aus beam that can be split with power favouring NZ. The test H pol ones are similar levels so should see the same fiqures as above once/if fully migrated to the Hpol transponders. There is one of Skys muxs currently running on a split Aus/NZ beam that favours Aus in the power split, this is a db or two down on the old B1 levels (but loud and clear in Aus, encryption keeps it safe) the PPV channels 70+ and Doco channel (49) are on that, however in the rain weve had over the last few days it kept running.

The Hpol tests Sky has been doing are on the same frequecies as the Vpol ones operating at the moment. If your skew alignment was set correctly then you should have seen little or no change in BER (mine indicated no appreciable change), but if the Skew had not been set correctly (as I suggest many had not) then Sky's CSR should have been busy. Those tests are currently not running they were mid week during business hrs.

Cyril

morocco

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#55362 13-Dec-2006 11:59

cyril7:
As for signal levels, the current Sky D1 muxs (Vpol) are running 3-4dB up on B1, therefore most installs should be seeing quality figures of +80% with BER 10-6 or better, all the ones I have seen have hovered in the 10-6 to 10-7(which is the STB indicator endstop). So thats good news, and should see rain fade pretty well knocked on the head except in extreme rain.
Cyril

Tks heaps Cyril,

My Signal strength was 75% & BER around 70-6, I got a dual dnb ( I had a single ) & the installer put in a new cable, it's now 100% strength & 10-6, the detail is definitely better.

Nigel